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For OBMs

This is a reprint of an article from one of my favorite clients Gina Hiatt of AcademicLadder.com. Although written for the academic world, what she has to say is SO applicable to anyone imo – especially those of us starting, growing and supporting businesses. Enjoy!

“Oh, good,” I said to myself, “Here are some of the books I ordered. I hope these are the ones about dealing with back pain.” The first book on the pile in the box wasHow to Grow a Backbone,by Susan Marshall. I did a double take, and then I realized it was a book I had ordered based on Meggin McIntosh’s suggestion during her presentation “Antioxidants for Toxic Academic Work Environments” (recording still available).

InHow to Grow a Backbone,Susan Marshall tells us why we need a strong backbone to thrive in the work world and what steps we need to take in order to develop one. Although her book is tailored to the business world, it easily translates into the academic environment.

What follows is some of what I liked best from this book, organized and summarized in a way that I hope is helpful to graduate students, post docs and professors. I highly recommend that you read it for yourself. I started reading it to help my readers, but I ended up benefiting from it in surprising ways. (Believe me, you need a backbone to be able to keep your head up in the world of Internet business.)

What is Backbone?

Marshall defines backbone as “firm and resolute character” (p.10). In action, she says, it might look and feel like courage. The word “integrity” also describes someone with strong backbone. My belief is that everyone can grow a backbone, and that academia is a perfect place for you to learn how.

How Much of a Backbone Do You Have?

This might sound like a harsh question, but it’s an important one. Here are some questions that I’ve come up with that you can ask yourself in order to find out if you are backbone-deficient.

Do you look at the world as if it’s out to get you?

Do you crumble when you get criticized or get negative feedback? More importantly, since no one loves to be criticized, do you have trouble pulling yourself back together after a day or two?

Do you spend a lot of time complaining about others in a non-constructive way?

Do you worry too much about what other people think?

Do you avoid taking a stand?

Do your actions not match your stated goals?

Do you let others distract you?

Do you avoid all risk, even small ones?

Do you let your day rule you, as opposed to you taking charge of what you do each day?

Are you mean and nasty?

Are you human? By that I mean that we all need help in growing more backbone. It’s normal to take avoid risks and not want to get hurt. We just need to challenge ourselves periodically to take the more difficult route, because of the advantages that can be gained by doing so.

What Are the Advantages of Growing More Backbone?

People who act with integrity feel more in control of their environment. Feeling this way is an important component of a sense of well-being. When what you do is in line with what you believe, your self-esteem is higher. Although you are taking more risks, you will paradoxically feel less fear and anxiety in the long run. When you feel in control of your environment, you will be less likely to experience a sense of hopelessness, helplessness and depression. This in turn will make it easier for you to take on challenges.

The Three Components of Backbone

According to Marshall there are three components of backbone: competence, the ability to take purposeful risks, and confidence. Each component interacts with the other.

Competence. Be open to growing your ability in every aspect of your academic career, and not just knowledge of your field. Seek out help in improving your writing abilities, time management skills, and ability to deal with others, for example. Cultivate experiences that will help your competence grow. List all your talents and abilities and be aware of how much you’ve accomplished in the past few years.

The ability to take purposeful risks. As Marshall says, this is “the ability to engage in intelligent, purposeful ventures on behalf of your career.” By taking on appropriate challenges, you will not only succeed some of the time, but you will get practice in learning how to cope with setbacks, criticism and disappointment.

Confidence. This is a natural outgrowth of the first two components, and will lead you to take on more challenges. Knowing that you can survive the negative consequences of the risks you have taken will actually increase your courage and self esteem. Having more competence, of course, will make you more calmly confident in yourself and your abilities. (We’re talking here about real confidence, and not the blow-hard façade of confidence that you see in nasty, immature, bullying types of academics.)

Although similar in nature, there are some very key differences between the role of Online Business Manager and Virtual Assistant.

If you are a VA or aspiring OBM it’s really important for you to understand these differences, so that you can a) decide which role is the best fit for you and then b) be able to clearly articulate the difference to your clients.

If you are a business owner it is really important for you to get clear on a) what your business actually needs and then b) look at whether you need to hire a VA or OBM to fill that need.

There is alot of ‘grey area’ right now when it comes to understanding the difference in these roles, and so i’ve put together a comparision chart to help illustrate each role and how they work together. (And to also clarify when a business owner is ready to hire either a VA or OBM).

There’s a LOT of buzz about this thing called an “Online Business Manager” lately, and no wonder! Ever since the best-selling book “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss, the best clients in the world are hot to hire virtual based support. Well, bring it on, I say. Who else in the online support business wants to work with higher-paying clients that are leaders in their markets? It’s one of the best ways
to recession-proof your business too.

In the spirit of meeting the demand head on, I’m offering an Open House Class to demystify the whole concept, and it’s f’ree of charge. If you’re at all curious – right now, because you’re chomping at the bit, ready TODAY to take the plunge – or – because you know pretty soon you may become a little bored or frustrated, and you’ll want to know what else is available to you – this is THE call for you this year.

“Everything You Wanted To Know About Becoming An Online Business Manager”

We’ll talk about how to know when you are ready. (Or if it’s a fit for you at all.) The first steps to working as an OBM. The importance of your credibility, so that you can earn fees not necessarily tied to your hours. And, answers to your questions about the upcoming Online Business Manager Certification & Training program (only 1514 seats left.)

I invite you to bring all of your questions to the call, everything from specific questions about something you’re working on with clients to thoughts or concerns about certification & training. I’ll be on the line for 60 minutes, ready and willing to answer any and all questions that you bring to the table. It’s the only place you’ll get focused attention on this topic, period. And the best opportunity for career growth that exists for any Virtual Assistant or online support professional. Is that worth an
hour of your time Tina?

Click here now to register – the bridgeline info will be sent to you right away:

Your Name:

Primary Email:

Can’t make it? No worries, as always the call will be recorded and you can book time in to listen after your client day is done. Just remember there’s more to life than trading your hours for money – to improve your lifestyle you need to find a way to leverage, and Online Business Management is one definite way to get just that.

Go ahead and register and you will get a copy of the MP3 recording that same day.

It’s official, the brand new Online Business Manager Certification and Training program is now officially open for application.

Since the launch of the book Becoming an Online Business Manager in fall 2008 I’ve literally received an onslaught of emails and (sometimes desperate) messages from business owners who want to hire an Online Business Manager. Had 3 more requests pop up in my inbox in the past 24 hours in fact…

The trouble is that there aren’t many Online Business Managers out there yet – the few that exist are already busy and don’t have room to take on new clients. So I don’t have anyone to refer these clients to, which is a shame!

Over the past few months I have also been hearing from a number of VAs and other online support professionals who have expressed a strong interest in becoming an Online Business Manager, but you feel that you don’t yet have the expertise to officially step into the role.

I’m sure you can see where i’m going here – it is pretty obvious that, with a bit of training and support, we can create a community of Online Business Managers who are confident and ready to work with these business owners that are so desperate to hire you.

A 16-week Intensive Training Program
for aspiring Online Business Managers

Most online business training programs are directed to the business owner (how to start and grow your own business), however this is truly the only training that is specifically and purposefully taught from the perspective of being the OBM for these business owners. So the content may be familiar, but the orientation, values and depth will be very different.

I’m especially excited about Module 3 – that alone will be worth the price of admission!

5 of the 20 spots are already spoken for, so be sure to grab one for yourself if this training speaks to you. Or feel free to pass this along to a member of your team or a colleague who may be ready to shift into this role.

I was talking to a colleague of mine yesterday who was sharing that she loves her Virtual Assistant, but in her words:

“the one thing that she won’t do is nag me to get stuff done… I need someone to nag me like my mom does!”

Now this may make you chuckle, but it really is a very common complaint that I hear from business owners… they really want someone who is going to keep them on task. Someone who will follow up with them to ensure that they are doing the things that need to be done – and perhaps nudge them along or hold them accountable when they don’t stay on task. I like to call this being a ‘professional nag’ for your clients.

And yet many VAs out there aren’t doing a very good job of this. Even when their clients specifically ask them to ‘be a nag’ they still aren’t doing it.

Where is the disconnect? I am a natural nag (just ask my husband, haha) so I think that I take for granted that this is an easy thing to do. But when I step back and look at it from an objective perspective I have to wonder if part of the problem is that

a) people just don’t know how to nag and

b) they aren’t comfortable doing it.

So let’s break it down a bit and take a look at how we can lovingly nag our clients.

1. Understand why nagging is important! At face value it is easy to think that our clients shouldn’t need to be nagged – after all, we are all adults and it is their business right? Shouldn’t they already be motivated to get things done? Even with the best of intentions, most business owners are simply too busy or distracted and they forget about or lose track of priorities in their own business. They want someone who is going to remind them of what is important and help them keep it front of mind. Once you *get* this you can see where nagging is actually a very important benefit to your clients.

2. Ask them for regular updates on project X. Sometimes the simple act of knowing that you are going to be asking them on a regular basis about X is enough to get people moving. Make sure to give them a deadline for completing X or remind them of a previously set deadline… people are more likely to complete a task when they know they have a deadline (it’s human nature).

3. Ask them where they are stuck. If something isn’t getting done it is usually symptomatic of an underlying issue. For example, let’s say you are waiting on your client to write an article for the newsletter. It could be that they can’t think of a topic to write about (brainstorm with them) or they know what they want to write about but haven’t had the time to sit down and do it (start the article for them and have them edit/finish it). In some cases it could be that priorities have shifted and project X is no longer as important as it was. Regardless of the cause, if you ask where things are stuck then you can look at ways to help move things forward or let things go.

4. Look for ways to clear their plate. Alot of times our clients get busy or distracted with things that they actually shouldn’t be doing. If your client seems overwhelmed to the point where things aren’t getting done take a look at where they are spending their time. Chances are that there is some stuff that you or another team member could take off of their plate to free them up to focus on other things.

5. Ask them how the want to be nagged. You might have it in your head that it needs to be some big elaborate nagging solution, when all they actually want is for you to ask them once a week about X. Or maybe send them a weekly list of ‘projects on the go’.

Nagging is actually more of an art than a science – there is no one way that is going to work for all clients. And a certain approach that works really well with one client may not work for another. So look to be a bit creative when you can, consider different ways that you could help your clients get things done and aim to have some fun along the way! For example, I have a running joke with my business partners where i’m ‘The Boot’. In our relationship i’m the one responsible to do the nagging, and so we have some fun and joke about it – ‘Oh no! Tina is putting The Boot on – watch out!’ LOL

The heart of nagging is about providing a constant reminder to your client about what is important – so that they can refocus themselves to do the things that are important. Regardless of what that constant reminder looks like, be sure to do it.

As a sidenote for you aspiring Online Business Managers – if you are going to play this role for your clients it is *essential* that you get comfortable with nagging. It is a key skill of the Online Business Manager – so much so that it is in the name – Online Business MaNAGer, hehe. We’ll be talking about this alot in the new Online Business Manager Certification and Training program.

One of the most common complaints I hear from business owners is this:

“I just don’t think i’m a priority for [name] – it seems like other projects/clients take precedence over my needs and I always fall to the bottom of the list…”

This of course leads to lots of frustration for the business owner, to the point where quite often they are looking to replace that person on their team.

And I have to admit that it makes me very sad to hear this! For the simple fact that I know it is not the intention of the VA, OBM, web designer or other support professional to make their clients feel this way.

In fact, this is usually a side effect of how busy we are – and quite often we are working so hard to juggle all the balls and try to get everything done that we forget how important it is to make our clients feel like a priority.

Let me say that again to make sure it hits home – your clients want (and need!) to FEEL like they are a priority. They want to feel like they are #1, even though they know that you have other clients and projects on the go.

So how do you make sure your clients know that they ARE a priority and that you are working hard on their behalf?

It’s simple really – keep in touch with them.

Sounds silly to say, but i’m honestly amazed at how few people do this and do it well. The simple act of keeping in touch with your clients to let them know what you are working on will make a huge difference.

A few specific things you can do:

If it’s a quick little task, just reply to the email saying ‘this is done’. This is especially important in the earlier stages of working with a new client, where it is important to build the trust that can only happen when they see you completing tasks. This also lets the client cross things off their list, and not have to chase you down to ask ‘was this done?’ when in fact you did it a few days ago already.

When a client sends you a bigger task or project, reply right away to let them know that you received the request and will get it done for X date. I’ve seen people hold off on replying to a new project request until they can actually get the project done or at least started. This could mean that the client could be waiting days or even longer before hearing from you on this request, and wondering if you even received the request at all? What is important here is to let your client know that you received the request in the first place so they aren’t left hanging. Even if you just say ‘hey sue, i’m not sure yet how long this will take me to do. let me look into it further and get back to you tomorrow with a timeline’.

Update your client weekly on your list of various projects & to-dos. It doesn’t matter if you send them an email list each week or use an online project management tool (Central Desktop is my fav). It is really important to keep your clients updated each week on the status of everything you have on your plate. This also gives your client an opportunity to revise and shuffle priorities as needed once they see the ‘big picture’ of your project list.

If you aren’t able to meet a promised deadline, let your client know right away! I’ve seen people use the ‘silent treatment’ when they fall behind on stuff, perhaps for fear of upsetting their client or having to let them down? The best thing you can do when falling behind is let your client know – maybe they can be flexible on the timeline and give you an extension. Or if need be they might want to pull someone else in to get the project done. Either way, if you don’t let them know you are more likely to upset them by *not* telling them and leaving them in a crunch vs. telling them and looking at alternative solutions (even if they are upset).

Plan to talk weekly with any of your retainer based or long-term clients. Email is a wonderful thing and most of us use it as our main mode of communication. But nothing beats a live voice-to-voice talk as a way to stay connected to your clients. This is a great time to review your weekly project list, talk about upcoming goals and just enjoy some conversation about life in general. I would go so far as to say that it is almost impossible to really connect with a client and make them feel like a priority without a regular phone call.

This may feel like a bit much to some of you, but i’m a firm believer that over-communication is WAAAAY better than under-communication (or no communication at all!). If your client thinks it is a bit much to get all these emails from you they will let you know and you can ease off. (This will usually happen when you have established a strong foundation of trust with your client – you have proven that they are a priority and that you are getting things done.)

If need be set aside a few minutes in your day to do the above – first thing in the morning or right before you sign off is a good time. It may take a while to build the ‘communication habit’, but believe me when I say your clients will be thrilled!